Ames, Ames, IowaNew Mixed-Use Collegiate Housing Community

Property Details

Upon completion in July, 2018, this project will undoubtedly be the “cool” place to live and hang out in the heart of downtown Ames, Iowa! The residential component of the project touts competitive amenities comprising two outdoor resident amenity decks, an outdoor amenity deck (including a pool/hot tub), club room, fitness center, study rooms, leasing lounge, in-unit washers and dryers, WiFi, and resident-parking. In addition, 20 boutique hotel rooms will be provided to the public catering to professors, future students, parents and professionals visiting the campus. The additional rooms will provide ultimate convenience with immediate proximity to campus that no other hotel provides in the area.

Project Information

With floor plan options ranging from studio to four-bedrooms, the luxury amenities, and prime logistical positioning across from ISU, residents will flock creating a significant captive audience to support 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail.

Unique Features

The building design has been influenced by its context and environment. The new local buildings utilize high-quality materials including metal panels, architectural concrete, masonry and glass which complement this project's architectural style. The materials will be of superior quality and compatible with its surrounding context. The architecture is modern with clean lines and an architectural order to its forms. The prominent Lincoln/Sheldon corner has an impressive full height, cantilevered brick volume articulated by windows that shift within the vertical stack providing movement to the façade. As the building transitions to the west and south, the scale and proportions of the building materials are altered to respond poetically to a more residential feel. A Pedestrian-scaled building base provides opportunities for contextual connections for future developments to the north, west and east.

Before

The site initially consisted of seven properties totaling 1.8 acres all of which housed a combination of residential dwellings and commercial buildings. The vision was to create a pedestrian-to-campus location and amenity offering directly across the street from top-tier Iowa State University given its steady growth. Located on the prominent Lincoln Way at Sheldon corner and bordered by Hyland, the 6-story project is designed to enhance the vitality of the site. Obstacles included environmental contamination, multiple lot consolidation and varying grades.

Rendering

An exceptionally well-designed and aesthetically pleasing 320,000 square foot, 6-story mixed-use building will add 537 beds in a mix of studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom floor plans, along with 7,500 square feet of retail to the market. In addition to increasing the vitality on site, key design features will foster the goal of revitalizing an overwhelmingly auto-oriented environment. The building’s massing responds to the context, having the tallest building expression located at the prime corner of Lincoln Way and Sheldon Avenue. The perimeter of the site is lined with attractive architecture and active uses, in ways that respond to the specific context of each particular street, strengthening connections to local context. Generous and attractive outdoor spaces are provided adjacent to lobby, retail and on outdoor decks. These in additional to wider sidewalks create more gracious pedestrian corridors than what exists today. The amount of curb cuts have been minimized limiting interaction of vehicles and pedestrians. The pedestrian-oriented fabric of Lincoln Way is enhanced to facilitate the connection to mass transit, greater Lincoln Corridor and local Campustown retail.

After

Upon completion, this best-in-class 6-story mixed-use project will enhance the vitality of the area, and the vision of the Campustown Revitalization by enriching the Lincoln Way, Sheldon Avenue and Hyland Avenue pedestrian experience and providing a gateway into Campustown consistent with long-term sustainable development. Stemming from long-standing urban design principles, the project will successfully implemented contextual architectural design, creating a welcoming public environment intended to attract pedestrian activity and encourage resident participation in activating Ames.